


Blame

by Iclare



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Drug Withdrawal, Gen, Hurt Klaus Hargreeves, Klaus Hargreeves Deserves Better, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Protective Ben Hargreeves, Protective Diego Hargreeves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25515160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iclare/pseuds/Iclare
Summary: Things are going missing. Klaus is getting blamed. His siblings have no idea. Sober Klaus is a danger to himself.
Comments: 8
Kudos: 236





	Blame

**Author's Note:**

> Slight AU to the TV show. Excuse for some good old fashioned Klaus whump.

‘Ugh. Where is it!?’ 

Luther peaked his head out of his room and towards the angry sounds of frustration coming from his sister’s room. 

‘You lost something?’

‘My sweater. The yellow one that Claire got me for Christmas last year. It was in my bag but now it’s gone,’ Alison huffed, placing her hands on her hips as she looked around her room. 

‘That’s funny. My blue jacket is gone from my closer. It was there yesterday.’ 

‘I’m going downstairs to see if I left it there. Maybe it fell out somewhere.’ 

Alison stalked downstairs towards their kitchen, Luther following her like a lapdog. 

Diego and Five were the only siblings there, Five making another pot of coffee, Diego sharpening his already perfectly sharp knives. 

‘Anyone seen my yellow sweater? I can’t find it anywhere,’ Alison asked as she entered the room. 

‘Nope,’ Five responded, pouring a cup of coffee that was too big for anyone, ‘Maybe it’s in the same place my scarf is. Dolores got it for me for our 10th anniversary and I haven’t seen it in a few days. If we’re all going to die soon I’d at least like to have something nice with me while we burn to a crisp.’ He slurped his coffee. 

Diego stared at his brother, one eyebrow raised. 

‘Glad to see you’re feeling so positive about the whole thing.’ He didn’t mention that one of his favourite blankets from his bed was missing too; mostly to protect his image, but also because he had a feeling that he knew who was behind the thefts. The last thing his detoxing brother needed was another stress on his already burdened shoulders. 

The man himself appeared at the doorway moments later, chattering quietly to the invisible Ben beside him. He looked tired, and cold, and in desperate need of a good meal. 

‘I don’t know where they are. I don’t remember. Maybe I left them here? Or upstairs. God my brain feels like mashed potato.’ 

Alison scoffed as she heard the last of the conversation. 

‘Where is it?’ She asked, stepping closer to her brother. 

‘Where is...?’ Klaus trailed off, looking around the room as if looking for clues.

‘My sweater. The yellow one. I know you took it. You were looking at it yesterday and now I can’t find it. Give it back. Give everyone their stuff back.’ 

Alison was so close to him and sounded so angry Klaus almost stepped back. 

‘I don’t have anything. I didn’t take anything. Did I?’ He looked at Ben beside him for clarification. Ben shook his head. ‘Nope. Definitely don’t have anything.’

Luther growled behind him and Klaus startled. 

‘So you sold them? For drugs? Of course for drugs. You’ll never change.’ 

Diego had a brief moment of doubt as he watched Klaus’ face fall at the accusation. 

‘I-I didn’t take anything! I swear! Bu-but I can help you look?’ Klaus was wringing his hands in front of him, sweat dotting his forehead as he panicked. He knew his past acts would cause his siblings to mistrust him but he thought they would at least give him a chance to defend himself. 

‘Is there anyway to silence that voice in your head that screams out to be the centre of attention?’ Luther all but hissed, breaking the silence of the room, ‘God I would hate to be as selfish as you. The world is about to end and all you can think about is your next fix? Typical Klaus.’ 

And wasn’t that a kick in the teeth. Klaus had been trying so hard to be good. To be quiet. To stay out of the way of his siblings. To help rebuild their fractured relationship. But in the end it didn’t matter. They would never see him as anything other than a druggie begging for his next fix. Ben scowled and desperately wished he wasn’t a ghost for a moment if only to punch his mountain of a brother. 

‘Screw you. I’m done.’ Klaus threw his hands in the air and stomped away, Ben following closely behind him. Diego looked like he was about to follow him but Luther put his arm in front of him to stop him. 

‘Just make yourself useful, Klaus, and go keep a lookout. Surely even you can’t mess that up.’

Klaus heard the insult as he walked away. 

He sucked in a heavy breath, willing the tears in his eyes to stay there and not escape down his face. He could be useful. He might not be able to use his powers fully yet but he could still be useful. He would be the lookout. Five had said trouble was coming. He would watch out for them.

He headed to the attic. If there was one thing he knew how to do, it was to look out for the bad guy. 

He skulked passed the overbearing wooden closet door, trying desperately to block out the memories of times his father had locked him in there as a child in an effort to conquer his fear of the dark. It hadn’t worked but the memories had etched themselves into his psyche and he felt a wave of nausea rush over him. 

His withdrawal was hitting him hard. Much harder than his last few times. Maybe it was because he wanted it so badly to work this time. He needed to see Dave. 

Klaus paced back and forth between the attic windows, stopping for a few moments between them to look out into the twilight. He felt too jittery to stop moving and too exhausted to keep walking. He sighed heavily and scratched at his arms. His anxiety was through the roof. His brain was being flooded with memories, both good and bad, mostly bad. 

He scratched at his chest where Dave’s dog tags usually hung. They weren’t there. He had lost them. He wasn’t sure how but he hadn’t been able to find them all day. Just another thing he couldn’t do right. 

He looked to his right, Ben was perched on an old desk that had been pushed up against the wall. His legs were crossed in front of him. 

‘You’re doing really well, Klaus. You have to keep going.’

‘What’s the point?’ Klaus moaned, scratching at his thighs; it felt like he was being bitten by thousands of tiny ants. ‘You heard them down there. It’s never going to change. I’m never going to be anything else but the failure. The druggie. The liability.’ As he spoke, Ben felt an odd energy flow through him. He could feel the table solidly below him, and the cold wall against his back. Cold? That was new. He hadn’t felt that in a while. 

He looked up and watched Klaus pace, his moments stilted and jittery, his fingers clenching and relaxing, and his eyes darting around the room. Ben stood up and walked over to his brother, reaching out a hand and placing it on Klaus’s shoulder. Klaus jumped away from him, looking at his skin as though he had been burned. 

‘Ben? What’s happening?’ 

‘You’re getting sober. You must be able to make me solid. Ha! This is great.’ Ben clapped his hands, jumping at the noise that came from him. He grinned widely. Klaus smiled softly back. 

‘What would dear old daddy say if he could see me now?’

‘I would say that you’re still wasting your potential, number four.’ Reginald Hargreaves voice spoke out loudly from behind him and Klaus yelped, turning around to face him. 

‘Dad? How are you here?’ Klaus took several steps back, sharing a panicked look with Ben. This couldn’t be happening. He wasn’t mentally prepared for this. 

‘Your brother has been asking you to conjure me for days and it has taken you this long to get me here. Still too afraid of ghosts to focus hard enough to speak to me? Or is it the poison in your system clouding your vision? Pathetic.’ 

Klaus seemed to shrink under the criticism from his deceased father; he was getting it from all sides today, no chance of a break? 

‘I’m trying-‘

‘You’re failing! Always such a disappointment. Think of what you could do if you actually focused on your powers instead of being afraid.’ Reginald stopped for a moment, tapping his cane against the floor softly. He glanced at the closet door. Klaus swallowed loudly.

‘No. Dad, please, no, anything but that.’ The thought of running away passed through Klaus’ mind but his feet seemed cemented to the floor. 

‘The very fact that you are so against the idea is the very reason we must do it. You cannot be afraid of what your power can do.’ Reginald gripped Klaus’ arm tightly and dragged him towards the closet, the door opening by itself. Klaus could feel his father’s cold, bony fingers touching him and he thought he might be sick. As if his withdrawal wasn’t bad enough he would have to go through it alone and in the dark? No thank you. 

Reginald flung Klaus into the dark closet, his wrist twisting under the pressure and Klaus yelped at the pain, grabbing his injured wrist with his working hand. 

‘Dad! You can’t do this!’ Ben argued, staring at him in shock. 

Reginald looked at the men before him and scoffed. 

‘A few hours should do. I’ll go and talk with the others while you think about what you haven’t done.’ 

‘No, no, no. This can’t be happening. I need to get out of here. Ben, help me. Diego! Die-‘ 

A wave of fury rushed over Reginald’s ghostly body as he watched Four shirk his responsibilities again. He glared at the dark haired man lying in front of him before raising his cane and hitting it against Klaus’ head. Klaus moaned as the metal top of the cane thudded against his temple, blood rushing to his ears. He looked up at his father, a shudder running through him at the anger on the man’s face. 

‘Dad, please, I-‘ Reginald’s cane came down again, Klaus’ eyes rolling into his head until Ben could only see the whites of his eyes. He watched in horror as Klaus’ body relaxed against the floor, blood dripping into his hair. 

The door to the closet closed and locked as Reginald walked away. Ben watched him, aware that his own body was becoming weaker. He felt less real, more like his ghost self. He frowned. Klaus was unconscious; that must mean that he wasn’t able to make him solid. He smirked. That would mean Reginald wouldn’t be able to hang around either. 

He saw the moment Reginald realised his mistake himself and he vanished, a curse on his lips. Ben wished he could feel pleasure about it but his brother was unconscious and injured, locked in a closet, and detoxing badly. This was not good.


End file.
